Legacy of the Empire
by Jinn Sage
Summary: The rushed footsteps of the Master Jedi through the corridors of the secret Jedi-ran prison, indicated a strong urgency that he had not felt in many years. Not since the time of the Rebellion. Not since the fall of the Emperor. Not since the redemption of his father, the Jedi killer Darth Vader. A name that haunts not only across the galaxy in hushed whispers...


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in accordance to the Star Wars franchise. All rights belong to Lucasfilm and Disney. The only thing I own is this story and my OC.**

 **"** **Speaking"**

 **'** **Thoughts'**

 **'** ** _Telepathic_** **'**

 ** _A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…_**

 **Star Wars Episode: Legacy of the Empire**

The rushed footsteps of the Master Jedi through the corridors of the secret Jedi-ran prison, known only to the Jedi Council of the Old Republic, indicated a strong urgency that he had not felt in many years. Not since the time of the Rebellion. Not since the fall of the Emperor. Not since the redemption of his father, the Jedi killer Darth Vader.

'This cannot be,' thought the Master Jedi, his white robes flourishing from the brisk pace. 'The Force is far stronger than I imagined in him, like a whirlwind of power! He can become too much of a threat if I let him live.' The Jedi's thoughts trailed off when he found himself in front of the being responsible for his troubled woes.

A young man in his late teen's, no older than eighteen, with reddish-brown hair and wearing elegant obsidian robes of fine decorations and style. A man of wealth and prestige, if not for his family name. A name that haunts not only across the galaxy in hushed whispers, but also through the endless ripples of the Force:

"Palpatine," Luke Skywalker said aloud. The potent sapphire eyes of the young Palpatine opened steadily, slowly moving his head to face the Jedi. Skywalker reached through the Force, studying the wild-storm of the Force residing in the young man. "You should have known what your fate was when you entered the Temple."

"That's why I came," Palpatine said calmly, his eyes unblinking towards his warden.

"You saved my daughter," Skywalker continued. "Why?"

"Should I have left her to die? Should I be punished for doing what you consider the morally right thing to do?" inquired Palpatine, his words steady but his tone held a sharpness of wit.

"If you were any other person, that might've been true."

"I am not any other person, neither are you Master Jedi," Palpatine stood from his meditation, stalking towards the Jedi, stopping short of touching the ray shields. "You and I both have blood on our hands, Luke Skywalker. Sins of our family stains across the entire galaxy, yet I am stuck in prison while you…"

Luke Skywalker eyed the prisoner wearily. "The Emperor committed mass genocide during his tyranny, both in the Jedi and Alderaan-"

"And your father went along with it," Palpatine shot back. "Why should I get punished with a crime I had no part in, while you can play the shining knight and redeem your family name?"

"What is there to redeem of the Palpatine name?" Luke shot back with equal intense vigor. "It is filled with hate, fear, anger and shame. No one will trust your name, forever it will be spat upon by those who suffered under it."

"What of the people who died under your father's blade?" countered Palpatine. "Your father knew the dangers of the Dark side yet he allowed his own selfishness, the arrogance of a Jedi, to think he could master it. In the end, Anakin Skywalker was too weak, too emotional, too extreme for his own good, and everyone suffered for it. Including my grandfather. Including us." The two powerful Force wielders stood in silence, awaiting for the endless droning to envelope them.

"You want to redeem your family name?" Luke asked softly, more of repeating the young Palpatine's earlier statement. "The Emperor was the Dark side incarnate, power corrupted and vile. His presence lingers within you."

"We all have a dark side Master Jedi, some of us simply have better control of it than others," quipped Palpatine, an amused smirk teetering on his lips. "Still, makes you curious on why I saved your daughter, right?" The young man folded his hands behind his back. "My reasons aren't entirely selfless, your daughter is very beautiful."

The Master Jedi forced his irritation to the depths of his stomach, focusing on the peace of knowing his daughter was still safe. His lips flattened as he rolled his jaw before taking a rather deep breath, exhaling loudly to display his displeasure. "You will not go near her, Palpatine. And so far you have not changed my mind in the slightest."

"Typical Jedi," muttered Palpatine. "Stubborn creatures, ignorant of seeing the potential unfolding before them."

"Perhaps, but the Jedi have changed under my guidance. We will grow beyond the Jedi of the Old Republic, and we will rebuild what both the Jedi and Sith have destroyed."

Curiosity sparkled in Palpatine's sapphire eyes. "Oh, you will take upon yourself to make certain the galaxy is under control? I wonder where I've heard that before…"

Luke narrowed his eyes cautiously. "Don't twist my words, Palpatine. I'm not my father."

"I suppose not, you're far wiser than him. However you've reached the opposite spectrum of your father: paranoia," Palpatine opened his cloak to reveal the hilt of a single-bladed lightsaber tucked on his belt. "You will waste the opportunity of a potential ally if you keep me locked up. And it's a good thing you don't trust me, you can keep an eye on me while I finish my training. Make sure I don't delve into the path of our family legacy."

Luke contemplated the words of his enemy's descendant. He offered a very promising deal; a power that rivaled the bloodline of the Chosen One and one that would be serving a higher purpose. However the temptations of the Dark side were too damning in the Palpatine legacy, one so potent in the Dark side would leave stains anywhere he touched. Including his descendants. But…

'No, it was different for my father,' Luke ruminated carefully. 'Anakin Skywalker was a misguided Jedi, Vader was a troubled Sith. The pull of the Light side called to him because of… me.' The Master Jedi came out of his thoughts for a second, watching the stern gaze of Palpatine. 'Perhaps I will have to redirect all that power to a more useful cause. He is right: I would be wasting such a powerful ally keeping him locked away. I'll have to keep a very close eye on him and show him the path of the Jedi. As well my daughter and other Jedi.'

"Do we have an accord?" Palpatine asked.

Luke matched the stern gaze of his prisoner, last second thoughts flashing through him as he pressed the button releasing the grandchild of the Emperor. "On certain conditions…"

 **-Star Wars: Legacy of the Empire-**

Sapphire eyes, pure and raw and potent… those were the last things Jaina Skywalker saw before an explosion blinded her. Whoever he was, he was powerful in the Force. Stronger than her. The granddaughter of the Chosen One knew of her powerful connection to the Force, one she was proud of. Naturally she was very curious on who this stronger person was that saved her. Her eyes sparkled with a childish innocence, one that didn't escape her mother's mischievous gaze.

"Someone on your mind?" Mara Jade, wife of Luke Skywalker and member of the Council, asked teasingly.

Jaina smiled shyly, looking away from her mother. "Those were the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. I don't know anything else about him." A deep frown etched on her young beautiful face, glancing squarely at her mother.

Mara Jade grasped her daughter's hand. "Jaina, your father has a secret… we have a secret that is very dangerous."

"Does this have anything to do with the Empire?" Her father and a strange but familiar young man entered into the medical bay, her father keeping the strange man close to him.

"In some measure," the young man answered, an amused smile peeking. "I still stand by my compliment, you have one beautiful daughter Master Jedi."

Luke ignored the grandchild of Palpatine, focusing on his wife and daughter. "We need to talk, gather everyone in the Council."

"And the attack on the Temple?" Mara Jade asked.

"We'll cover that later," Luke said. His blue eyes softened at the pearl of his life. "Nothing serious or life-threatening?"

"I'm fine Dad," Jaina said, removing herself from the bed sheets and stood up, heading over to her folded Jedi robes. "Nothing meditation can't fix. Emotion, peace, and all." Grabbing her robes, she turned to face her savior. "What do you have to do with the Empire?"

"Nothing directly, it's more… guilt by association," the young man explained, eyeing the Master Jedi wearily. His sapphire orbs lowered towards the red-haired Jedi. "Speaking of guilt… seems you have quite the affinity for people from the Empire."

Jaina's emerald orbs narrowed at the stranger, his words unsettling her. "My parents destroyed the Empire…" Carefully she looked towards her mother, hoping for her to say something.

"And your family built it as well, we're all guilty of it," the young man continued, removing himself from the Jedi. "Seems like Mommy and Daddy kept their little secret from their spoiled Jedi Princess."

"I am not spoiled!" berated Jaina, glaring furiously at the strange man. "You don't get to talk to me like that! You don't know me!"

The young man resisted his smirk to the best of his ability, his beautiful sapphire orbs eyeing Luke Skywalker. "I might have been mistaken earlier… your daughter is probably wiser than you are."

"Why did you bring him here?" demanded Mara Jade, gazing impotently at the grandchild of the Empire.

"Leaving him alone and anywhere else from my sight will get everyone killed," Luke explained simply. "He will remain by my side until I'm dead."

Palpatine's lips curled downward. "We're not going to share the same bed are we?"

The Master Jedi ignored his statement. "Get everyone to the Council room. Now." Dragging the prisoner away, and as they departed from the medical bay, Mara Jade felt the burning gaze of her only child.

Jaina's emerald orbs studied the entire scene unfold, she was witty as much as she was smart. She knew something was amiss. Taking a breath, the child of Skywalker paced a few steps towards her mother. "You served in the Empire." A truth that she couldn't deny.

Nor would Mara Jade. "I did."

Jaina wanted to say and ask more, however she was afraid of the answers she knew awaited her. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"No," replied Mara Jade honestly. "My past life has nothing to do with the life I have now." Jaina looked beyond her mother, staring at the vacant hall her father and savior had came from. Her mother followed her gaze. "Though it seems my past life is forcing itself back in."

"Is he…" Jaina started, stopping herself for a time. If her mother worked for the Empire, and her father destroyed it, and the stranger's words of her family building the Empire. And given her father's recent actions of treating the stranger with hostile actions…

"The galaxy isn't safe with him alive," Mara Jade spoke. "I am grateful to him for saving you, but it won't be enough to wash away the blood that's in him." The soft thuds of her mother's boots and the eventual whirring of a medical droid left Jaina Skywalker to understand her thoughts and revelations. Addressing the coarse fabric of her beige-brown robes, the daughter of Luke Skywalker undressed from her hospital gown and adorned her robes.

 **-Star Wars: Legacy of the Empire-**

Standing in the midst of the Council's gazes left the grandchild of Palpatine, feeling their heated gaze upon him, like an animal. "Am I allowed to say something now?"

"And spread lies and deceit upon us?" mocked Kyle Katarn, an old friend of the Skywalker family. "You've done enough damage standing in front of us as is. I wouldn't be surprised if you had some part in the attack on the Temple."

Palpatine raised a brow at the Grandmaster. "Believe me if I wanted the Jedi dead, you'd be so. The only mercy that would've saved you is Grandmaster Skywalker."

The sullen gaze of the Master Jedi studied beyond the flesh and blood of the Empire's grandchild. The attack on the Jedi Temple was fast, efficient and deadly, a fair amount of the new Jedi died. "Doesn't fully explain your presence though, I don't believe you came to the Temple just to talk. I wasn't at the Temple, I'm sure you knew that."

The grandchild of Palpatine nodded. "I was curious on how the Jedi were faring in the midst of rebuilding themselves. However I knew of the attack that was coming."

Katarn glared harshly at the descendant of Palpatine, anger and impulse of action boiled in his soul, the temptation was powerful to strike him where he stood.

"Careful Jedi," Palpatine warned. "Strike me down and you'll never find out who ordered the attack."

"We have means of finding out anyway," countered Katarn, his stern gaze unflinching. "We don't need your help."

Skywalker glanced to his wife, her fire-red hair long and flowing down her shoulders and her emerald eyes as piercingly beautiful as the first time she tried to kill him. The situation was a dire one, let alone the descendant of the being who threw the galaxy into chaos. He had done everything in his mortal power to undo the damage the Emperor and his father had commenced, yet he knew whispers of his name frightened the New Republic; they tolerated him because of his actions, yet the rebirth of the New Jedi Order had caused resistance on some level amongst the people and Senators.

And now the Jedi were being threatened again, one Luke felt would be another end of the Jedi. One which, he feared, they would never return.

"We do," Luke said, sighing with a tiredness that exhausted his soul. "Palpatine is the key to this, and… he has offered to join us, to follow the path of the Light side willingly. The Jedi are few in numbers across the galaxy, and the attack on the Temple may not be the last one. We're not equipped to handle a possible invasion."

"An invasion he might be responsible for!" Mara Jade riposted, frowning at her husband. "One attack on us doesn't mean we can drop our guard at the first sign of peril, especially for the grandchild of the Emperor."

"Do you even know who attacked you or ordered the hit?" inquired Palpatine, folding his hands in front of him. "I know who ordered the attack, because I was part of the plan. I was raised in hate and anger and fear by the woman who raised me, but I chose to break myself from that chain." Seeing the unrelenting anger in their glares, Palpatine refolded his arms across his chest. "I do not want to be a slave or a tool for her, she raised me to be as such. I want to be free; free of her, free of my grandfather's legacy, free of the Dark side's chain around my soul. I am not my grandfather, stop treating me as if I am him. I am sacrificing myself to you now to appease the sins of a man I never met. What more do you want?"

Grandmaster Skywalker felt the anguish laced in his words. Times were changing. The Jedi were changing. The Sith… were not it seemed. His mechanical hand whirred quietly as he brought his hands together, holding them against his lips. 'Anakin Skywalker was a misguided Jedi. Vader was a troubled Sith,' Luke pondered. 'A child raised in the shadows of anger and hatred, to become the image of a man he never met. We are not them.'

"The path of the Jedi is one of compassion and understanding," Luke said, contemplating more aloud than as a declaration. "The Jedi of the Old Republic had lost their purpose, their identity. My master told me that the Dark side will forever dominate your destiny if you started down that path. He would have been right, if not for the principle of being alive; it is hard for a Jedi to truly connect to the Force around us if we cannot connect to the people we live with. Fear, sadness, happiness, regret, anger; all are a path to the Dark side according to the old Jedi way. _Life_ is a path to the Dark side, yet the Force resides in all living creatures in the universe." With a look of acceptance, the Grandmaster stood from his seat and walked towards the grandchild of the Emperor, embracing Palpatine with strong hands on his shoulders. "I will take you as my Apprentice. My faith in the Jedi way, in you, shall speak to those far across the stars of a new dawn for the galaxy. A time of revival, renewal, and acceptance, yet I leave you with a warning: Cross me or my family, the Jedi Order or the Republic, and I will kill you."

Assertion commanded Luke Skywalker's demeanor- the spirit of a leader broke through the smile on his face. His words were true. Not a threat. Skywalker had not only the power, but the will and spirit to do what he said. Palpatine saw this in the Jedi's eyes, and a measure of respect crawled into his soul. The Jedi had the power that the Sith commended, but the Jedi were weak in spirit- slaves of those weaker than themselves. Palpatine's brow furrowed in thought, Skywalker noticed the depths of Palpatine's inner self at work.

"Who raised you? Trained you?" asked Luke calmly, his hands still on the young man's shoulders.

"Who wants the Jedi dead?" continued Palpatine, removing the Jedi's hands. "The Emperor had his hands reaching across various parts in the galaxy during his reign. There was one place he couldn't reach: the Unknown Regions." Stepping away from the Grandmaster, he turned his back to him and gazed at the door leading into the Council room. "There are hundreds of threats out there that would freeze your blood if you knew about them. Legends say that the Celestials resided there, and still do. Or other unholy creatures live there, waiting… Only one being had escaped from the Unknown Regions, you should know him personally."

A troubled frown pressed against the Grandmaster's demeanor.

"He served the Emperor himself during the Galactic Civil War," Palpatine continued, his folded hands gripping tightly together. "A cunning strategist with a keen mind equal to none, a connoisseur of art and culture… a man named Mitth'raw'nuruodo."

"Grand Admiral Thrawn," Mara Jade whispered, her voice struggled to say the name of the mind behind the Empire. His actions, his dedication to cold logic and reason, provided many victories in the Empire's favor; his blank crimson eyes held the utmost curiosities, studying everyone and everything in sight and understanding them to their very nature.

"He originally served during the Clone Wars before being promoted to the Empire," Palpatine explained. "Little is known of his past, save for what Thrawn told the Emperor. Or what the Emperor already knew, it is hard to say. However Thrawn never supported the Empire per se, only the notion of order over the chaos that ensued the galaxy during your rebellion." Palpatine turned back to face the Council, his posture straightened when he continued. "Thrawn was not loyal to the Empire. He was a spy for his people, the Chiss Ascendancy. Collecting data and studying the various strategies the rebellion and Empire would utilize during battle, Thrawn would relay this information to his people on the planet Csilla."

"An entire planet of Thrawn's people is out there," Mara Jade stated, leaning back into her chair. "Whole star systems of beings with the same intellect as him."

"Normally the Chiss would not be a bother, they are a xenophobic race," Palpatine said.

"Xenophobia is another word for superiority complex," Katarn countered.

"The Chiss have the power and technology to back it up. Their technology is perhaps the most advanced in the entire galaxy, and one Chiss alone provided you with so much trouble. One of the reasons you won your war against the Empire was because the Emperor sent Thrawn away," Palpatine clarified. "Now, the Chiss Ascendancy is poised to declare war on the New Republic with the guiding influence of Zyra Varsin, my mother."

"What are you prepared to do?" Luke inquired. "You know the plans of your mother, you are the key that free you from these chains you want to break from."

"Hence why I came to you," explained Palpatine. "My reasons are not entirely selfless Master Jedi, I want to be free of this. She will use me to take revenge against you and your family, I've seen her eyes. They are death. They are hunger. A fire that consumes the ashes and rains carnage across the stars. She isn't like my grandfather- she is chaos. I fear what she may do with me once I complete my task- perhaps nothing will happen or something else."

Nodding absently, trying with all his might to comprehend the type of woman he would be facing, Luke Skywalker rested one hand on Palpatine's shoulders. "Wait outside. I will talk to the Council, in the morning I will finish your training. What you say is troubling and what you say of Zyra Varsin worries me immensely, because she frightens you. I don't know what is in store for us, neither do you, however the Force works in mysterious ways."

Palpatine pulled away from the Grandmaster's grip, making his way outside. "I know how she acts, I know who she is. That matters more than how the Force works."

 **-Star Wars: Legacy of the Empire-**

Digging his heels, Palpatine spun on his feet and marched back and forth like a common solider, his thoughts lost. He knew the power he was facing, he knew the power he just faced, he knew the power that existed.

Power…

Power…

Power…

All that gave life purpose was power. He knew that… she taught him that. Power without guidance was destructive. Power without awareness was the Emperor's downfall. Where did that leave him? He had power, yet…

His jaw locked as his steps became more rigid and briskly, the floor beneath him began to blur-

He could see the ceiling. The back of his head throbbed in pain… someone knocked into him. Why? Resting on his elbows, Palpatine saw a mess of brown hair hiding a face on his chest, probably a woman he figured, with hair that long and silky.

"Not exactly your day of first impressions, is it Jedi Princess?" remarked Palpatine, grabbing the locks of brown hair and pulled upward, unveiling the face of Jaina Skywalker. Smacking his hand away, Jaina pulled herself away from the grandchild of the Empire, brushing the wrinkles of her robes. "Usually this is where you apologize running-"

"Sorry," Jaina apologized curtly, fixing her frazzled hair before attempting to enter the Council room.

"They're busy," Palpatine said, an amused smirk crossing his lips when the Skywalker child halted inches from the door. He sensed her agitation towards him. "Talking about me, what to do with me and all."

Jaina eased her shoulders, reminding herself the verses of the Jedi Code, turning to face the sapphire eyes of Palpatine. His smirk eased into a half-smile, his arms by side, his whole posture demonstrated of a man with power and respect. A feeling of warmth bubbled in her stomach the longer she observed his sapphire orbs.

"Why are you helping us?" asked Jaina.

Such a simple question threw Palpatine off for the slightest moment, his demeanor faltered before catching himself. "Should have expected a straight-forward question."

"And a straight-forward answer would be nice," the daughter of the Grandmaster snipped.

Palpatine raised his hands in playful defense. "Easy, simple questions never get simple answers. Even then, that's not a simple question; not if you know the origins of the question." Unamused emerald eyes blinked at Palpatine's response, Jaina folded her arms and awaited for an answer. "There's bad blood between your family and mine, for good reason I'll admit. That's the simple history for that question. As to why," Palpatine glanced towards the door expectantly, half hoping it would reveal an answer for him. "I chose to break away from a past that's not my own. Your father did with Vader, why couldn't I?"

Her mouth went dry at his question. Her lips felt sewed together, her heart leaping into her throat. Vader had done a lot of atrocities in his life, and her father told her that the Force had forgiven him, for he had become a Force ghost.

Here, the grandchild of the Emperor stood before him. Wanting a change of bad blood, and everyone seemed to fear him. Including her parents. Her mother… how many atrocities had she committed? Yet her father forgave her.

"Why did you save me?" Jaina forced herself to say.

Palpatine's sapphire eyes darkened to an obsidian color, blinking slowly in thought. Why did he save her… he couldn't think of reason why he shouldn't save her. Shrugging his shoulders, Palpatine offered a charming smile. "Like I told your father, you're beautiful. And you'd be surprised on how far a man will go for a beautiful woman."

A smile tugged on her lips, followed by angelic snicker leading into laughter. A beautiful symphony rejoiced in his ears, her beautiful smile radiated the room. "I'll be sure to remember that, might save me some hassle of chores in the Temple."

"Nothing more dangerous than a woman who realizes her own power," quipped Palpatine. The knowing of Jaina's look towards him confirmed his suspicions. "I have a bad feeling I know who's gonna be stuck with that." A quiet round of laughter eased the moment between the Force wielders, seemingly bridging an alliance between two bloodlines that brought the galaxy to its knees a long, long time ago.

"What is your name, your real name?" Jaina asked once her laughter died down. "I don't think you want to cause confusion between you and the Emperor.

"Vinu," Palpatine said. "Vinu Palpatine.'

 **A/N: And this is my first new story on my Jinn Sage account, hope you enjoy!**

 **What inspired me to write this story was because of the Lion King movies… Shut up!… Anyway, the second one in particular, Lion King II: Simba's Pride, was the main inspiration behind this fic as I was always curious to know what Shakespearen influence Disney could've used for the third movie, if there ever was one.**

 **And it got me thinking: King Lear, Beowulf, Othello… But Othello caught my eye the most; the prospect of Othello's character Iago is very similar to the character of Sheev Palpatine, so what better way than for his descendant to have a similar character arc?**

 **Not to mention the name of Vinu is inspired by the Hindu Trinity Vishnu- the Preserver. Fits the naming theme lol.**

 **Also the image cover is the basis of Vinu Palpatine's appearance, except his hair will be more brown than red lol.**


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